AURORA — Stillman Valley’s football team insists it’s not intimidated by anybody.

Not even the two-time defending Class 3A state champs from Aurora Christian.

“We know every game is going to be tough at this point, so we don’t care who it is,” running back Tristan Elliott said. “And there’s no team that scares Stillman Valley. Everybody’s good, but we’re not afraid of anybody, either.”

The Cardinals knocked off previously unbeaten Winnebago — which had just earned its first outright Big Northern Conference West Division title — in the quarterfinals after falling to them in the regular season last week to get to the Class 3A state semifinals. While that was a big game for all involved, it didn’t take long for the Cardinals and their coaching staff to turn the page and start looking ahead.

“Those kids at Winnebago are hard-nosed kids. Talk about hard-nosed kids, we’ve got another group coming next week,” coach Mike Lalor said of Saturday’s 5 p.m. matchup against Aurora Christian. “They’re the elite team of the class.”

Aurora Christian’s offense is led by Legend Smith, who has 1,429 yards on 190 rushes with 18 touchdowns, and quarterback Austin Brey, who threw for 238 yards and three TDs when the Eagles eliminated Oregon from the postseason for the third time in four years, 49-20, two weeks ago.

Smith has five games over 100 yards this season, and at 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, he does it with quickness and elusiveness. Add that to the fact the Eagles, coached by former NFL star Don Beebe, have become known for their dangerous passing attack over the past couple of years, and you have an intimidating looking semifinal team.

Well, intimidating to most.

“We’re a humble group, but that doesn’t mean we’re afraid of anybody. We’re not,” said Cardinals back Zac Hare, who has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the team’s playoff games, and who has 1,480 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground so far this year. “Hey, we’ve done a lot over here, too.”

The Cardinals won four state titles from 1999-2009, and then finished second in 2010. After a 10-win season in 2011, they went just 7-4 last year.

But this year they showed they can’t be held down for long.

They can get to another state-final showdown with just one more win, too.

“We knew we had it in us. We know this is the time of year when we step it up at Stillman Valley,” Hare said. “As for this next one, it won’t be easy, but we’ve come this far, we’re not ready to stop it yet. Not yet.”